


Nothing kills more than to know

by magenta



Category: Adam Lambert (Musician), Glam Rock RPF, X-Men (Comicverse), X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Big Bang Challenge, M/M, Telepathic Sex, Threesome - M/M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-06
Updated: 2011-12-06
Packaged: 2017-10-27 00:23:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/289526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magenta/pseuds/magenta
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>It had been more than year since Erik had been gone. Gone from Charles’ mind, from his home and from his bed, but never from his thoughts. </i></p><p>A year after the beach, Charles has the school up and running, welcoming new students with Adam at his side. Erik has never been far from his mind, but lately he's been closer than ever, clear images of Erik coming to the mansion flashing in Charles' mind. What does Erik want, after all this time? Charles' doesn't know, but together with Adam, Hank and the new students, he has to be ready for anything, as much as it might hurt.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nothing kills more than to know

**Author's Note:**

> Sequel to [The more things change](http://archiveofourown.org/works/212351).
> 
> Written for the xmenbigbang. Title taken from Adam Lambert's Can't let you go. This is mainly in the XMFC verse, however there are a few added characters from the comics verse. Ororo (Storm), Rictor, and Monet St Croix are fairly clear, and I've also introduced Shatterstar, who I've called Gav, taking his name from one of his aliases, Gavandra Seven. Rictor and Shatterstar have a great relationship in the comics, and I couldn't resist bringing it over! If you're not a comic fan, don't worry! I don't think there's anything in here that would be confusing, and I've certainly taken creative liberties with the characters' histories. The same can be said for those of you who may not be Adam Lambert fans. You don't need to know anything about him other than what I've included, and I think he could be read as an OMC without much trouble.
> 
> As always, I need to thank my beta janesgravity, but I need to thank her even more than usual! I needed to be dug out from more than one pile of my own melodrama during the writing of this, and if it wasn't for her, I'd still be buried! Thanks also goes to Acey who provided a much needed third set of eyes! <3

**  
_Charles_   
**

It had been more than year since Erik had been gone. Gone from Charles’ mind, from his home and from his bed, but never from his thoughts. Not a day has gone by that Charles hasn’t thought of him; he missed Erik, the pain of missing him almost more than the impossible pain that shot through his legs, or settled deep in his ruined back. Worse than missing him were the rare glimpses of Erik that flashed through Charles’ mind. He wasn’t sure if they were weak moments when Erik removed that damned helmet or if they were coming to him through the minds of Erik’s companions, but when they came, he clamped his mind down, trying in vain to hang on to the images, somehow turn them into more before they were gone as quickly as they’d come. He was always left short of breath, his fingers clenching hard into the arms of his chair until his knuckles went white. His mind raced, chasing after the image like he could grab onto it, his heart pounding until he felt a pair of hands press into his shoulders, grounding him and forcing his mind to slow.

“Charles. Charles.” Adam’s voice reached his ears a little slower than usual, but as always, it pulled Charles up and out, his eyes blinking until he could focus on Adam’s face in front of him, a concerned smile on his lips. “You back with me?”

Charles sighed, feeling Adam's power brush over his skin like a soft blanket, sparing a thought to marvel at the control Adam had gained in the last few months, the things he'd learned he could do. He reached one hand up to twine his fingers with Adam's, pressing Adam's cool palm to his own cheek, the after-burn of the image finally fading from his mind. "Yes, yes I'm alright. Thank you." He turned, pressing an easy kiss to Adam's wrist, breathing in his familiar scent.

"Erik again?" Adam carded his fingers through Charles' curls, pulling a nearby chair closer and settling into it, one leg tossed carelessly over the side of Charles' chair to snug between Charles' legs. The position probably looked awkward, and maybe it had been months ago, but today it felt as natural as folding two bodies into one armchair had before.

"Always. I don't know if I dread these visions or await them." Charles dragged in a ragged breath, leaning into Adam's persistent fingers scraping over his scalp. "Would not knowing anything at all be better than this?"

He watched as Adam thought carefully, his brow burrowing and his teeth digging into his lip. Charles didn't have to dip into Adam's mind to know some of the thoughts floating through it. In the aftermath of that day at the beach, Adam had held far more anger towards Erik than Charles had; even when it became clear that the bullet Erik's hand had guided had taken away Charles' legs forever, it was Adam who stormed through the mansion, Adam who had needed Charles' calming hand against his cheek. Erik had meant as much to Adam as he'd meant to Charles, if not more, and Adam still hurt every day over his betrayal.

"No, not knowing would be worse." Adam's voice was soft, and his fingers slowed their ministrations in Charles' hair. The pain in his voice was clear when he continued, and for Charles, that sound was the worst of all. "I still miss him. I hate him for what he did, but I miss him every day."

"Me too, Adam, every day." They sat in silence for a long time, Charles letting his head droop against Adam's hand, his own hand falling to Adam's thigh, tracing light circles there. It was rare that the mansion was quiet for so long, and on another day Charles might have wondered what the students were getting up, but today he relished the silence until the light in the room shifted, shadows telling him it was getting late.

He shifted, turning to press a kiss to Adam's forehead where it had come to rest on Charles' shoulder. "Bed?"

Adam smiled up at him, tired but always bright. "Always." He stood, shaking the kinks from his muscles and bending to tip Charles' chin up and kiss him brief and sweet, Charles' hand sneaking up to fist in Adam's hair , deepening the kiss before Adam pulled back with a grin. "Come on, before we get interrupted. Again."

Charles felt a flush creep up his chest at the memory of the study door swinging open, Adam straddling his chair, both of them wearing far less than any of the students should have ever had to see. Adam's laugh floated gold and bright past his eyes and ears, knowing what Charles was remembering without having to see it, and any lingering haze from the evening's vision lifted away, leaving Charles feeling light, a smirk quirking his lips. “We’d better get a move on then, because I won’t be able to help myself soon.”

Adam let Charles’ hand slid up his thigh and tease under the hem of his shirt before slipping behind Charles’ chair and grasping the handles. He started to push, bending down to press his lips against Charles’ ear and speaking in a voice that filled Charles’ vision with deep purple swirls and his gut with spreading heat. “Good, because I don’t want you to help yourself.”

Charles felt a little sigh slip from his lips against his will, and he cursed the hallway in front of them for being so long. In these moments, when he was truly wrapped up in everything that Adam was, were the moments where Erik managed to be furthest from his mind while somehow remaining a heavy weight there, something at once forgotten and deeply missed. Later, when he and Adam moved together, their thoughts moving as easily as their bodies, Charles would see that Erik was on Adam’s mind in these moments too, a presence that bonded them together even, and perhaps especially, in his absence.

 

The sun was barely rising in the sky when Charles started awake, only Adam’s heavy arm resting across his chest keeping him from jolting right off the bed. His mind was flooded with the strongest image of Erik he’d had since the day he’d watched him walk away, so clear it felt like a snapshot. Charles was sure that this image was coming directly from Erik’s mind, visions of himself, of Adam and of the mansion, of that helmet in Erik’s worn hands. Just before his mind went blank again, a single word filled his head, ringing as loud as if it was shouted. _Charles._

“Erik!” Charles did shout, his heart hammering in his chest and his fingers clenching hard into the bedspread as if he could grab onto the vision and pull it back.

“Charles, calm down, calm down.” One of Adam’s hand held firm onto his shoulder, and the other stroked soothingly over Charles’ bare chest, lingering over the spot where Charles’ heart beat. He kept up the gentle motion until Charles’ heartbeat slowed, looking down at him with the kind of worry that Charles’ hadn’t seen on his face since the moment the bullet slammed into Charles’ back.

Charles looked up at him, smiling weakly when he contrasted the worry on Adam’s face with the sleep-mussed tumble of hair on top of his head and pillow creases in his cheeks. “I’m alright, just caught off guard.”

“You’ve never had two visions this close together, have you?” Adam loosened his grip on Charles’ shoulder, but he kept smoothing his palm over Charles’ chest, fingers scratching through the sparse hair.

“I haven’t.” Charles was quiet for a moment, lifting a hand to tangle with Adam’s fingers as they swooped low on his belly. “This one was from Erik himself, Adam. I’m sure of it. I saw myself, and you and the mansion. He called to me. I think he’s coming.”

Adam’s hand tightened around Charles’, and his eyes hardened just long enough for Charles to see. “Coming. Why?”

Charles’ shook his head, a little sadly. “I have no idea. I wish I did.”

Their thoughts hung heavily in the air between them, and Charles felt Adam’s mind nudging at his own, felt thoughts pushing inside, things Adam wasn’t yet ready to verbalize. What did Erik hope to gain by coming back? Did he want to harm those that remained at the mansion, or recruit the new students to his cause as well? Or did he want forgiveness, to be welcomed back into the fold? Charles didn’t know what he was hoping for, and Adam’s thoughts were just as conflicted. There was more anger in Adam’s mind than in Charles’, but Charles had never tried to change the way Adam felt. It was Adam’s anger that helped him to think clearer, to look past his own biases, something he’d never needed more than in this moment.

“So, we need to be ready.” Adam shifted in the bed until he was sitting up, his shoulders square and strong. He kept Charles’ hand clutched tight in his own, his grip the only tell that there were nerves bubbling under the surface.

“Yes, we do. We need to be ready, for anything.” Charles looked up at Adam with a calm smile on his face, and tugged him down until their lips were pressed gently together. The tension that had formed in Adam’s muscles flowed out at the touch of Charles’ hands sliding up his back, and he sighed softly against Charles’ mouth.

They kissed for long, lazy minutes, the kind of kissing that doesn’t have to go anywhere to be perfect. Charles enjoyed the feeling of Adam’s broad back under his hands, and the feeling of Adam’s gentle fingers roaming over his chest and sliding higher to tangle in his hair. The sun rose higher as they kissed, bathing the room in bright, clean light. The silence of the night started to fade away, being replaced with the morning sounds that Charles had become so familiar with since opening the academy. The shuffle of feet above him as kids started hopping out of bed, the sound of showers starting and laughter ringing out.

Regretfully, he pulled away from Adam, after leaning back in for one more deep kiss. “I suppose we better get up and do our jobs.”

Adam grumbled a little, pressing his face into Charles’ neck before sitting up and swinging his legs out of the bed. Charles’ watched only a little greedily as Adam strode nude around to his side of the bed, wheeling Charles’ chair up to the edge. “Alright, Professor. I’ll go put on some tea, and you can get yourself presentable.”

Charles reached up to allow Adam to help him into the chair, something he could do on his own if he had to, but not so secretly enjoyed Adam’s help with, and found himself grinning. “Please do put pants on before you make the tea, remember these are children we are dealing with.”

Just then, a loud crash rang out from the direction of the kitchen, and Charles groaned. Adam was just pulling a pair of worn sweats over his hips, and he rolled his eyes, turning to Charles. “Go get ready, I’ll handle it. Probably just Alex and Sean again. See you later.” A quick kiss to Charles’ brow, and Adam was gone, leaving Charles to feel astonishingly grateful that he had another pair of eyes and hands to help around the academy. Adam had grown up fast and strong, and no matter why Erik was coming, Charles knew that they’d be able to handle it.

 

The day went by blissfully uneventfully, at least as uneventfully as any day in a house full of teenagers prone to blowing things up in ways they always claimed were accidental. Charles was glad he hadn’t been particularly attached to any of the family heirlooms in the mansion, because it seemed that every day there were fewer of them around and more broken pottery and glass for Charles to clean up. He wouldn’t change a thing about it however, even as the day wound down and music blared from the sitting room, not quite loud enough to cover the sound of shouting voices that Charles’ couldn’t identify. He could cast his mind out over the mansion and find out in a moment, but if he had learned anything in the last few months, it was to not involve himself in the affairs of teenagers if he could at all avoid it.

“Hank is going to meet us in your study, are you ready?” Adam appeared behind him suddenly, his hand warm and comfortable on Charles’ shoulder. Charles felt uneasy, like they were heading to a strategy meeting, like those they’d had before the battle with Shaw. He’d known from the moment he’d met Erik that their ideas and beliefs differed in a few essential ways, and while this now felt inevitable, it was an eventuality Charles had truly hoped he’d never have to prepare for.

“Yes, yes, let’s go.” He turned to smile up at Adam, bringing his hands into his lap to wring his fingers together as Adam wheeled him down the hall towards his study. He felt Adam’s mind nudging at his own, a gentle push that he left in, Adam’s words filling his head and pushing the worry to the side for the moment. _We’re just making sure we’re ready for anything. We’ll probably never even need the things we’re preparing. Relax._ He could sense the doubt in Adam’s words even as he thought them, but he appreciated the sentiment, and he sincerely hoped it was correct.

Hank was pacing the study when they got there, his sleeves rolled up over his forearms. Ever since his transformation, finding clothes that fit hadn’t been the easiest task, and even as he turned to them he fiddled with the buttons that would no longer close around his wrists.

“Charles, what is it? Adam said you needed to talk about a plan? What’s happening?” Hank had always been full of nervous energy, his fingers fiddling with his glasses, running aimlessly through his hair, and those gestures had only grown more exaggerated.

“Hank, please sit. We don’t yet know if this is anything to be truly scared of.” Charles pushed himself up to the large table near the window, and gestured for Adam and Hank to take the chairs situated around it. Adam took the chair directly next to Charles, one of his hands unerringly finding a place to rest on Charles’ forearm. Charles smiled gently at Adam, and took a deep breath. “Alright, there’s no point in dragging it out. I believe that Erik is coming, here.”

Hank’s eyes went wide, his mouth dropping open for a moment before he schooled his features. “Here? Why would he come here? And how do you know?”

“I cannot answer why he would be coming, which is why we’ve come to you. And I know, because I’ve seen him, here.” Charles’ fingertips brushed against his temple, and he cast out briefly for another glimpse of Erik and coming up empty. “Since he left, I’ve gotten occasional glimpses of him, possibly through the minds of his...companions. But recently, they’ve been stronger, and this morning, I saw Erik’s own mind, I am sure of it.”

Adam’s fingers tightened on Charles’ arm, but he remained quiet and let Hank ask his questions. “What makes you think he’s coming here? I guess it makes sense, if he wants to attack, maybe take the new students for himself...” Hank trailed off, his fingers twitching as if he was writing imaginary notes.

“I saw...images. Of the mansion. Of myself. Of Adam.” Charles looked to Adam quickly, sharing a tired smile. “I don’t know that he means to attack us, I saw no violence. But, we must be prepared for any eventuality.”

“Are we going to teach them to fight? Alex and Sean, they’ll be fine, we know that, but the others...” A worried look settled on Hank’s face, not looking quite right with the new arrangement of his features.

Charles sighed, bringing a hand to pinch at the bridge of his nose. “You know what I wanted to do with this academy, to create a safe space for young people to learn about their powers and how to master them. I never wanted to create an army.” The words _that’s what Erik wanted_ hung unsaid in the air, but as thick and heavy as if Charles had shouted them. “We’ll teach them how to defend themselves, should it come to that. Nothing more.”

Hank nodded, scratching his fingernails over his forearm. “We’ll start tomorrow then. I’ll talk to Alex and Sean, we can work on a training regime for the rest of them. Adam, I’d like it if you helped as well, the kids really like you.” He smiled a little, the kind of grin that nearly got lost on his face if you weren’t looking for it.

“Of course I’ll help, Hank. You’re the smartest man we’ve got, but dealing with the kids isn’t exactly your strong suit.” Adam’s eyes twinkled a little, and Hank’s smile grew bigger and maybe a little rueful in return. It was true, Hank was the smartest person that Adam had ever come into contact with, but with that kind of intelligence came a certain lack of patience, and his transformation had only heightened it. He was working on it, and getting better everyday, but one of his classes still ended almost weekly with someone storming out and slamming doors behind them, usually running to Adam to vent their frustrations and leaving a somewhat stunned Hank in their wake.

Charles reached across the table to rest his hand on Hank’s arm, pressing harder when Hank tried to pull away, an new instinct he’d yet to curb. “Thank you. I only hope we are preparing for nothing.”

“Me too.” Hank was silent for a moment, but it was clear he wasn’t done. “It would be hard to fight him, wouldn’t it? Even after...” He shook his head, like he was clearing an unwanted image from his mind, then stood and straightened out his clothes. “I’ll see you in the morning then. Good night.”

Charles and Adam watched Hank walk from the room, and when they were alone, Adam leaned over, resting his head on Charles’ shoulder. It was quiet for several minutes, Adam’s fingers tracing circles over the thin skin at the inside of Charles’ wrist before he spoke. “It’s been a long day. Want to go to bed?”

Charles turned to look down at Adam, feeling a grin already starting to turn up his lips. “Are you suggesting what I think you’re suggesting?”

“Depends on if you like what you think I’m suggesting.” Adam grinned back, his eyes sparkling in a way that only Charles got to see.

Rather than tell Adam, Charles reached to tip Adam’s head up and show him exactly what he thought about Adam’s idea, their tongues sliding together hot and deep until both of them were breathing heavy, cheeks flushed. They pulled away from each other long enough to head for the bedroom, and as they hurried down the hall, Charles thought, not for the first time, of the benefits of adding an adjoining door between the two rooms.

There was an air of urgency when they reached their bedroom, a kind of hurry that neither of them wanted to think too hard on. Adam pulled his own clothes off quickly, helping Charles into the bed before removing his clothes as well. He stretched out next to Charles, leaning up to catch his lips and pick the kiss up where they left off, letting it grow deep and wet and dirty. Charles always thought that Adam kissed like a man drowning, like his only hope for air was to pull it from Charles’ lungs, and Charles gave himself to it willingly. He dragged his hands over Adam’s broad back, scraping his fingernails down the pale flesh, and lightly trailing his fingertips back up over the bumps of Adam’s spine until he could play with the fine hairs at the nape of Adam’s neck.

Adam’s hands roamed eagerly over Charles’ chest, one sliding up until it was resting on Charles’ throat, just high enough to tip Charles’ head up further into the kiss, letting his tongue slide even deeper into Charles’ mouth. His other hands dropped lower to swirl his fingers around Charles’ nipples, first one and then the other, a light touch at first, then pinching hard enough to draw a sharp moan from Charles’ chest. His nipples had always been sensitive, but since the accident, it was like a dial had been turned up, his nerves on overdrive to the lightest tough from Adam’s fingers drove him insane. Adam moved away from Charles’ mouth to kiss a hot path down his throat, nipping lightly at the spot just under Charles’ chin that made him shudder.

Adam kissed across his collarbone but didn’t head down his chest, lips sliding over to Charles’ arm instead. They both knew that if Adam closed his mouth around Charles’ nipples now, it would be over far before either of them wanted it to be, but that didn’t stop Charles from groaning in frustration anyways. Adam’s tongue darted out to tease along the inside of Charles’ upper arm, making him shiver from the light touch. He sighed when Adam’s fingers laced with his, turning his arm up so the pale underside was exposed, his sigh deepening to a moan when Adam’s mouth reached his elbow, his tongue laving flat and warm over the soft bit where his arm bent. It was one of many places that have never had a sexual connotation before, but now, Adam’s tongue sliding over his skin felt filthy and intimate and perfect. Adam kept moving lower, scraping his teeth over the thin skin at the inside of Charles’ wrist, his tongue brushing over Charles’ palm and then taking his fingers into his mouth, one at a time.

For the first time since they’d come into the bedroom, Charles let his mind reach out for Adam’s, finding it open, like always. Adam never closed his mind to Charles in the bedroom, instead he let what he was thinking and feeling flow into Charles’ head like a river over a waterfall. He heard Adam moan as he closed his lips around Charles’ fingers, and in his head he could almost taste the saltiness of his own skin, the taste Adam was chasing with his tongue. Adam’s tongue swirled around each of his fingers, sucking slow and dirty until Charles was panting, his free hand fisting in Adam’s hair and dragging him off of his fingers with a wet pop. Adam’s mouth was red and wet, his lips swollen and his cheeks flushed as Charles pulled him down for another kiss, this time one that was hard and fast, teeth and lips clashing over sharp moans and gasps.

“Adam, Adam.” Charles voice sounded rough and wrecked when he pulled away, his words punctuated with more kisses. “Come up here, I want to suck you.”

A shaky moan fell from Adam’s lips, his breath hot and damp against Charles’ cheek before he pulled himself away. Charles tugged himself up the bed, settling back into the pillows and beckoning Adam forward with a hungry look in his eyes. Adam’s fingers wrapped around the bars of Charles’ headboard as he flung one of his legs over Charles’ chest, shuffling forward on his knees until Charles’ hand could grab his hips and pull him in the rest of the way. Charles licked his lips eagerly, digging the fingers of one hand hard into the soft flesh of Adam’s ass, wrapping the other around Adam’s hard cock. Above him, Adam groaned, his eyes falling shut as Charles’ tongue darted out to swirl around the head, the bitter-salt taste of pre-come already starting to gather there.

Charles reached out with his mind again, moaning around Adam’s cock when he felt the phantom sensation of warm wetness around his own cock, mirroring what Adam was feeling. He flicked his tongue just under the head of Adam’s cock, at the spot he knew made Adam’s knees go weak and was rewarded with a high moan that flashed purple over their heads. Adam’s powers didn’t manifest during sex as much as they used to as Adam gained control over them, and Charles considered every burst of colour a little victory. He tongued that spot until Adam was panting, his hips thrusting in sharp little bursts, his breath coming in gorgeous little pants. Charles took a deep breath and dug his fingers harder into Adam’s ass, using both hands to bring him forward, his mouth sinking hotly over Adam’s cock, taking it all the way into his mouth.

The noise that fell from Adam’s lips was beyond dazzling, and Charles forced his eyes open to look up and see the bursts of gold and purple flashing behind Adam’s head, his eyes fluttering shut, his mouth hanging open. Charles swallowed around Adam’s cock and started to move, sliding his mouth up and down, flicking his tongue over the head on every pass. Adam was still hanging on white-knuckled to the headboard, his hips nearly shaking with the effort of keeping still and not pounding deep into Charles’ throat.

 _Adam, go ahead. Let go, I can take it._ Charles groaned as Adam did, Adam’s voice sounding broken as his hips stuttered before finally letting go. His hips moved slow at first, sliding deep into Charles’ mouth and pulling back till only the head was left inside, but he quickly sped up, thrusting fast and shallow. Charles moaned around Adam’s cock, his lips wet and nearly dripping as Adam moved, his rhythm starting to falter when Charles let his teeth catch on the rim of his cock, his tongue flicking over the slit. When Charles felt Adam start to come, he gripped hard into the flesh of Adam’s ass, the sharp sensation of pain filtering from Adam’s mind into his own and making Adam’s thighs shake. Adam’s cock twitched in Charles’ mouth, the hot, musky taste of come flooding over Charles’ tongue and down his throat. Above him, Adam’s moans crested higher until he was silent, his mouth just hanging open as he panted, his hands dropping from the headboard to tangle in Charles’ hair, tugging just hard enough. Charles swallowed what he could, lapping gently over the sensitive head of Adam’s cock until the aftershocks faded and Adam slumped down, sliding until he was draped half over Charles and half on the bed.

“God, you are so good at that.” Adam’s voice was hoarse, like he was the one who’d just had a cock in his throat, but Charles didn’t get a chance to answer before Adam was kissing him, licking every trace of his own taste out of Charles’ mouth. As they kissed, Adam’s hand moved over Charles’ body, sliding unerringly over his chest, fingers teasing his nipples into hard peaks. When all he could taste was Charles, Adam pulled his mouth away, kissing down Charles’ neck, and heading right for where his fingers were working. This time he didn’t tease or move past where Charles wanted him to go, he pressed the flat of his tongue right over Charles’ nipple, grinning against his skin when Charles groaned, arching his chest up into Adam’s mouth.

Adam ran his tongue in light circles around Charles’ nipple, using his fingers to pinch and roll the other, a flush spreading down over Charles’ chest. His slid his other hand down Charles’ abdomen to cup his cock, which was resting hard on his belly. This was another thing that hadn’t been the same since the accident, but just because Charles couldn’t exactly feel it, didn’t mean he couldn’t _feel_ it. Charles had learned that the brain played a far larger role in sex than even he had ever assumed, and as Adam’s hand moved over his cock and his mouth moved over Charles’ chest, a warm feeling began to spread low in Charles’ belly. He tilted his head so he could watch around where Adam’s head bent over his chest, watching as Adam’s thumb swirled over the head of his cock, starting to glisten.

He opened his mind again, feeling the slickness under Adam’s thumb, the silky-hardness of his cock and tasting the saltiness of his own skin as Adam licked a path between his nipples, taking the other one into his mouth. Charles gasped when Adam’s teeth closed gently over the sensitive flesh, rolling it until Charles felt like his whole chest was throbbing, his world narrowing to just the feeling of Adam’s hot mouth on his skin and the soft-focus feeling of his cock in Adam’s hand. Adam moved his mouth just to the side of Charles’ nipple, biting down into the softness hard enough that Charles knew he was going to bruise. He arched against Adam’s mouth, nearly shouting as he tangled his hand in Adam’s hair to hold him there as he started to come, the warm feeling in his belly spreading out like a puddle of molasses.

Through Adam’s mind he could feel his cock twitch, could feel the hot, wet slide of his come over Adam’s fingers, dripping to pool cool and slick on his belly as Adam pressed soft kisses over Charles’ chest, tracking back up to Charles’ mouth to kiss him through the end of his orgasm, soft little moans spilling from Charles’ mouth into Adam’s. The kiss was slow and lazy, both of them going boneless and fuzzy with the scent of sex hanging heavy in the air over them. They laid there like that for a long time, until their skin cooled and the stickiness started to get uncomfortable.

Adam leaned in, brushing his lips over Charles’ ear, pushing is nose into his damp curls. “How about I go run us a bath and we get cleaned up before bed?”

Charles sighed, already thinking about leaning back against Adam’s chest in warm, sudsy water, and it was enough to not make him miss the days when getting ready for bed took five minutes instead of nearly an hour. “That sounds lovely, I can’t wait.” Adam kissed Charles’ temple before bounding off the bed, the sound of running water and the sweet, bright smell of bubble bath soon filling the air. As he waited, Charles’ mind felt clearer than it had in weeks, and when Adam came back out of the bathroom, a wide easy smile on his face, Charles felt ready to handle anything.

 

It was strange to have the mansion back in the swing of a training regime, and even though Charles wished it wasn’t necessary, he found that he still felt excitement watching the children master their powers and use them to their best ability. Alex and Sean had long since learned how to best use their powers, but Charles could see the way their eyes lit up when they got to show off, Sean soaring high over the grounds and swooping low enough to brush the grass to whoops and hollers. Alex strapped on the new vest Hank had built for him and took aim at a few trees that lined the back of the property that Charles had been meaning to have removed to clear the land anyway, a wide, bright smile filling Alex’s face as the trees crashed to the ground. Even Adam showed off a little, and Charles could tell the kids were surprised to see what he could do, their eyes widening as Adam’s voice soared and blasts shot forward out of his hands, knocking Hank and Alex backwards into the grass. Both of them laughed as they skidded to a stop, Adam’s face colouring a little when they told the kids that when Adam _really_ got going, it was really something to see.

Even if they were confused and a little hurt that they were training to possibly defend themselves against someone who used to be their partner, Charles had known that Alex and Sean would take to the training like ducks to water. It was the new kids, the ones who’d come here because they were confused, they wanted to understand what they were, and sometimes because they simply had nowhere else to go that Charles worried about. Hank had been working tirelessly on building a new Cerebro at the mansion, but it was taking a lot longer than anticipated, a much bigger job than it had been at a facility with government security and access. Charles one day wanted the mansion to be full of children, dozens maybe, but until he had a better way of seeking out the people who needed the academy, only four students had managed to find their way to his door. Charles may not have been sure how all of them found him, but he was glad they did.

Gav was one of those with nowhere else to go, having arrived on the doorstep of the mansion six months ago with nothing but a duffel bag on his back and a smile on his face. Charles knew nothing about him, about his life before the mansion, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. He’d asked and asked, but Gav never told him anything, and in a weak moment when curiosity overtook him, Charles dipped into his mind, expecting to find everything he was looking for. Instead, he found nothing about a family or friends, simple snapshots of training and learning, and more fighting than should ever be in the head of such a young man. For all that Charles thought Gav should be damaged and troubled, he wasn’t, and Charles truly enjoyed having him around the mansion.

His powers were truly outstanding, something Charles had known, but really seeing them in action now was something else. It was like everything about Gav was turned up as high as it could go, and then a little higher. He was superhumanly strong and fast, and he could swing and flip with such agility that it rivaled even Hank, and he could dodge any energy blast sent his way by Alex with ease. One of the very few things Gav had brought with him were a set of blades that strapped onto his arm, and Charles spared a thought for how such a young man could be such a skilled swordsman, but then he remembered what he’d seen in Gav’s mind, the training, the fighting, and he was simply glad Gav was on their side. Charles watched in almost giddy amusement as Gav lifted Hank over his head and spun him like he weighed no more than a beach ball, Gav breaking out into a high, easy laugh when he put Hank down to stumble until he reached a wall he could collapse against.

Wherever Gav was, Rictor could almost always be found. Rictor was quiet, and somewhat dark, and had told Charles enough about his troubled childhood that Charles didn’t desire to learn more. He’d left Mexico on a bus after his powers manifested in his home, nearly bringing all the walls down around him. He didn’t say what happened to his family or how he’d found out about the academy, and Charles didn’t ask. He was simply glad to see the boy coming out of his shell and smiling more, especially whenever Gav was around. Charles suspected there was something going on between the boys, the way their knees knocked together when they sat on the sofa, the way Rictor reached out to grasp Gav’s arm when they laughed over something only teenage boys found funny, and it simply made Charles smile.

Rictor’s power was the cause of many of the broken heirlooms in the mansion. Charles wasn’t sure how it worked, but Rictor seemed to be able to create and release energy, everything around him vibrating like an earthquake when he did it. Rictor’s power began as hard to control as Alex’s, things crashing down around him or shattering when he released the energy, but it didn’t take him long to get the hang of it. Soon, Rictor was able to almost aim the energy, shattering only the one vase he was aiming for, or releasing the energy into the ground, making it shake under the feet of anyone standing on it. Since Rictor had become more comfortable with his powers, Charles had witnessed more than one fight on the basketball court when Rictor pressed his fingers to the ground, sending Hank and Alex tumbling head over feet while Gav leapt over the shaking earth to sink an easy basket. After the third time Rictor uprooted the net, however, Charles had needed to put a ‘no powers on the court’ rule into place, but it still made his heart swell to see them growing into themselves.

As well as the boys had gotten along from the moment they arrived, the girls had been at each others throats. Charles wished deeply he had Moira or even Raven around to help him in these moments, because teenage girls were completely beyond him, even when he could read their thoughts. Monet had been dropped off at the mansion in a large, fancy car, a well-dressed man sliding out long enough to help her get her bags from the trunk before driving off, leaving a very sullen and angry young girl in Charles’ drive. Charles had been intrigued by Monet from the moment he met her, when he felt her mind reaching out for his. He’d reached back, and felt a flash of emotion run through her, and she’d looked up with the barest hint of a smile on her face. That didn’t mean that Monet had been easy to have around, not for a moment. She was strong-willed and emotional, and her telepathy was only the beginnings of her powers.

Monet was resistant to the training program, just as she’d been resistant to nearly everything Charles had put forward for her since she’d arrived. She knew she was strong and fast and nearly invulnerable, but she was the kind of stubborn Charles had rarely come across. On the days that Charles managed to get her out to the field with the others, she most often refused to participate in the drills, relying simply on her brute strength and speed to destroy whatever obstacles Hank, Alex and Sean had set up for them. She was skilled, there was no way around that, but Charles felt out of his depth trying to get her to learn discipline. Still, gradually Charles could see her drawing closer to the others, coming to training a little less reluctantly, and storming through the mansion slamming doors less often. One day, Charles thought he might even get her to smile again.

One thing that never got any easier was the relationship between Monet and Ororo. Ororo was one of the mutants that Charles had found when using Cerebro at the facility, but they hadn’t gone to find her, thinking she was too young. When he was ready to open the academy, he reached out to her, finding her in an orphanage in New York City. They had only been too happy to see her go, obviously harried by attempting to deal with what they didn’t understand was her gift. She was the youngest that Charles had brought to the mansion, barely twelve years old, and she had been terrified and skittish for weeks before Adam finally broke through with her after overhearing her singing softly to herself in a language none of them recognized. Since then, she’d hung close to his side wherever he went, especially when Monet was on the warpath. Charles suspected that Monet had younger siblings at home, though she’d never said, because she treated Ororo like an unwanted younger sister, ordering her around and screaming at her when she did something that Monet didn’t like.

Ororo never fought back, but when she was upset, it was hard for her to control her powers. On bad days, a dark cloud would hang over the entire mansion, raining down until it seemed like the yard would flood, Ororo locked in her room where Monet couldn’t get her. Only Adam could get her to come out on days like that, patiently curling up on the floor in front of her door and talking softly to her until the clouds parted and the sun started to shine again. The nature of her power made her training unpredictable, but for all her quietness, Ororo was strong and determined, and soon she was whipping up winds strong enough to lift her high over the mansion as lightning shot down around her. Charles saw in her a kind of quiet strength, the kind of strength that made great leaders, and he could hardly wait to see her reach her full potential.

As the weeks went by, Charles had the pleasure of watching all of them come together as a team. He watched as Ororo lifted her hands, sending enough fog out over the grounds to allow Hank and Gav to slink through unseen, popping up just in time to fell their opponents, Alex and Adam. Sean soared through the sky, his wail dropping Hank to his knees before he was knocked off course by a blast of yellow light, courtesy of Adam. Monet learned how to project images into the minds of others, making Rictor think his legs were on fire just as he touched his hand to the ground to make it shake, stopping him before he had the chance to do more than a minor rumble.

They fought hand-to-hand and power-to-power until they were worn out and sweaty, at the end of the day walking through the mansion, laughing and clapping each other on the back, even Ororo and Monet bumping shoulders as they bonded over taking down the boys together. Charles followed behind them, Adam hanging back to walk with him, watching as the group of kids with nothing in common but a quirk of genetics became an actual team. Charles still didn’t think that Erik was right about needing an army, but he was beginning to see the benefits of a team, a group of mutants who could fight not just for other mutants, but humans as well. He smiled as the kids crowded into the living room, Hank passing out colas, Sean and Rictor arguing over what to put on the radio as Monet sidled up to Gav, batting her eyelashes and trying to win him over. They may have been just kids, but Charles knew without a doubt, that they were ready for whatever Erik had to bring.

 

Weeks passed, somehow crawling and flying by at the same time. Charles didn’t have a single vision of Erik, not even a flash, and he was beginning to think that he’d misunderstood what the images in his mind had meant. He didn’t stop the training, didn’t tell anyone other than Adam that he was beginning to doubt what he’d seen. He didn’t stop thinking about what would happen if and when Erik did come, not for a second, and when he finally came, it wasn’t at all like Charles had imagined. He’d spent the last several weeks drafting scenarios in his head, every way possible that Erik could burst into the mansion. He imagined Erik charging over the lawn, like he had in Russia, his new team following behind him, tornadoes swirling towards the house. He imagined Erik coming alone, his power making the door swing open ahead of him, stepping fiercely into the foyer, his jaw set as the chandeliers rattled with a flick of his finger. Late at night, Charles allowed himself to imagine Erik coming to the doors of the bedroom that opened onto the lawn, rapping gently on the glass before stepping lightly through the door. In Charles’ mind, the light framed Erik’s body, and he stood there silently until Charles lifted his arms and beckoned him forward.

In all the weeks and all the scenarios that Charles had imagined, it never occurred to him that Erik would just pull up to the bottom of the drive in a car that even Charles thought looked expensive, and step out like he was coming home. Charles watched through the window with a knot deep in his gut as Erik straightened his clothes, making sure the helmet was still settled on top of his head as he started up the drive toward the mansion. He didn’t even make it halfway before Charles heard the front door of the mansion slam, seconds later seeing Adam stride down the drive, anger radiating off of him in waves. From this distance, he couldn’t hear what Adam was saying, but the air around him crackled red and black like smoke as he shouted, his fists held firm at his side and Charles could see the effort it was taking to hold back as much as he was.

Charles opened his mind as he started towards the door, Adam’s anger almost stopping him in his tracks. He had never felt him this angry, had never felt this kind of anger from anyone but Erik before, and it shocked him into momentary stillness. Adam’s thoughts were so jumbled Charles’ nearly couldn’t make sense of them, seeing flashes of frustration and rage and love all mixed up into an emotional storm. He still couldn’t touch Erik’s mind, but he could tell that Erik wasn’t responding the way Adam had expected him to, or maybe even wanted him to. Adam had stormed out looking for a fight, and for once, Erik wasn’t giving one.

Adam’s emotions swirled and boiled inside of Charles’ head, spinning tighter and tighter until they burst outward in a ball of light, and Charles pushed his wheels as fast as he could, reaching the front door of the mansion just in time to swing it open and see Erik flying backwards, a ball of yellow light just starting to dissipate.

“Isn’t this what you came here for? A fight? Why else would you come back after this all time?” Adam’s face was flushed bright red, and his fingers were flexed, muscles in his forearms twitching as he stepped closer. “Answer me!”

Charles watched as Erik licked his lips, and he could see the fight inside of him, imagined he could hear the thrumming of metal around him as his power reached out. “I didn’t come here for a fight, Adam. If I had, you would certainly know it by now.”

“Then why did you come? We’re fine without you, Charles and I.” Adam’s voice was low now, not yelling anymore, the fight starting to drain out of him. His temper burned hot and fast, but he could never sustain it for long, especially not when his feelings were as muddled as Charles could feel they were.

A few long moments passed in silence on the lawn, and Charles could sense all the students watching and waiting, ready to use what they’d learned in the past weeks if necessary. Charles too held his breath, needing to hear Erik’s answer as much as Adam did.

“I came because...because perhaps I’m not fine.” Erik’s words were so quiet they didn’t reach Charles’ ears, and he only heard them through Adam’s mind. He didn’t need to be able to touch Erik’s mind to know how hard those words were for him to utter, and the knot in his gut began to dissolve, just a little.

Adam was quiet, and Charles could feel him struggling with so many opposing emotions, but then he closed the distance between him and Erik and reached out for Erik’s hands, helping him to his feet. “Come on then.”

It was then that Erik finally noticed Charles, his eyes zeroing in on him like a predator who’d found its prey, and then softening. Charles had seen that kind of soft look before, knew the note of pity that always accompanied it, and the knot in his gut moved into his throat. He’d never wanted to see that look on Erik’s face; it looked so foreign and wrong on his sharp features that Charles closed his eyes against it. When he opened them again, Erik was right in front of him, dropping to his knees. He reached his hands out, but stopped just short of touching Charles.

“Charles.” His voice was rough and broken when he spoke, and the look on his face crumpled from pity into something both worse, and easier to stomach. It was guilt, pure and simple, and even without being able to hear Erik’s thoughts, it was rolling off him in waves. “I’m so...god, Charles, I’m so sorry.”

Adam was there then, his hands finding their place on Charles’ shoulders, squeezing in a little harder than was necessary. Charles could tell that Adam wanted to speak, scathing retorts rolling around in his head, but he kept quiet, just standing strong and tall behind him. “Erik, what are you sorry for?”

“For doing this to you, for leaving you. Both of you.” Erik’s eyes flicked up to Adam’s for a moment, and Charles felt Adam’s anger being pushed to the side by something a little softer.

“Why now?” Charles’ hands twitched on his thighs, resisting the growing urge to reach out and touch Erik, to stroke his fingertips over Erik’s cheek. “Why after a year?”

Erik looked around, darting his eyes like he could sense the students watching from the windows and from around corners. “Can we...go inside? Somewhere more private?”

Charles turned his head to look back at Adam who nodded, but not before he’d pushed a thought into Charles’ head that Charles couldn’t disagree with. “You can come in, but I have one condition. You don’t wear that helmet here, not in my home.” He could see the protest on Erik’s face, cutting him off with a raised hand before Erik could open his mouth. “I won’t read your thoughts, I promise you that. But when you wear that, it’s like you don’t even exist, like you’re a black hole, and I can’t have that kind of emptiness here.”

“Alright.” Erik’s answer was clipped short, and his hands trembled slightly as he lifted the helmet off his head. Almost immediately, Charles could feel himself relax, the black space where Erik had been filling in like sand pouring into a hole. True to his word, Charles stayed out of Erik’s head, but just being able to sense his presence made all the difference. It was like Charles could finally see Erik again, his hair a little longer and messier than it had been before, a few more creases in the skin around his eyes, his mouth set in a hard line. Charles took a long moment to just look at him, looking until Erik’s mouth softened just a little, his fingers relaxing where they were gripping into the hard metal of the helmet.

“Come inside, Erik.” Charles dropped his hands and wheeled himself forward, Erik pausing uncertainly until Adam motioned him forward, falling in behind like he felt Erik needed to be watched. Every single inhabitant of the mansion was waiting for them inside the foyer, kids scattered up the stairs and in the halls, watching without even a pretense of hiding. Charles could feel their tension, nerves from not knowing what to expect, or knowing exactly what to expect in some cases. They all stood strong, shoulders square, even as Charles pushed out to them the notion that everything was fine, calm. Charles caught Hank’s eye as he passed by, giving him a brief nod and watched as Hank visibly relaxed, his nails no longer digging into the soft wood of the banister.

The three of them moved silently to Charles’ study, and Adam shut the door behind them, following to take a seat in the armchair next to where Charles stopped his chair. “Make yourself comfortable, Erik, have a seat.” Charles gestured towards the couch across from them, raising his eyebrows and tilting his head when Erik hesitated, waiting until he dropped, leaden and stiff onto the cushions. “Now, why don’t you tell us why you’re here, Erik.” Charles leaned forward in his chair, steepling his fingers together and locking eyes with Erik.

A series of emotions flashed across Erik’s face so rapidly Charles almost didn’t catch them all. Anger, guilt, sadness, they were all clear but there were flashes of softer things, things that would be frightening to Erik, but that Charles wanted to cling to. “I’m here for you, Charles.”

Charles was taken aback by the straightforwardness of Erik’s answer, and he leaned back in his chair, silent for a moment. “For me? I believe we established long ago that you and I want very different things. I trust you haven’t changed your views.”

Erik shook his head, gripping his fingers into his thighs. “I suppose my views haven’t changed, but what I want...I’m not sure anymore.” He sighed deeply, raking a hand through his uncharacteristically disheveled hair. “It just isn’t working, Charles. Those mutants, I can’t lead them, Raven’s the only one I even...” He stops mid-sentence, glancing up from his knees to gauge Charles’ reaction. “She’s the only one I even care about, the only one who really follows me. The others...I don’t know why they stay, they don’t want what I want.”

A rough laugh spilled from Erik’s lips, humourless even as his lips crook into a smirk. “You know I was never cut out for a team, Charles. I’m meant to work alone.”

“And yet here you are.” Charles’ words were met by silence, Erik nodding only slightly before finally relaxing enough to lean back into the cushions of the couch, as if the words had been holding him tightly together.

Adam broke the silence, leaning forward in his chair as he spoke, his voice soft but firm. “Do you know what your leaving did to us? All of us?” He gestured broadly, to the entire mansion. “They trusted you, fought alongside you. When Charles said you were coming, when we had to teach the kids how to fight you...” He didn’t finish, but he didn’t have to. His unspoken words hung heavy in the air, and Erik actually winced.

“I am not sorry I left, Adam. I can’t be sorry for doing what I felt was right. And I still feel it was right.” Erik cleared his throat and stood, wiping his hands on his trousers. “I am sorry for coming back. For upsetting what you’ve built here. The school looks to be coming along, Charles, very impressive. I’ll leave you to it.”

Erik was almost to the door when Adam caught up to him, Adam’s fingers strong where they wrapped around his wrist. “I said you hurt us. I never said I was sorry you’d come back.”

Charles saw a look flash across Erik’s face that he’d never seen before, pure, sweet relief, only there for a flash before it was gone again. He watched as Adam’s grip loosened, brushing his fingers gently over the soft inside of Erik’s wrist before pulling away, rubbing his fingertips together absentmindedly. “Erik, what is it you want, exactly?” Charles spoke softly, but there was a firmness to his tone that made both Erik and Adam’s heads snap towards him. “Do you want to join us again, when you’ll be giving up your ideals for ours? Or are you here to turn us to your side? I have missed you, my friend, every day I have missed you, but I cannot welcome you back that easily. Not after you betrayed me. Us.” His eyes flicked from Erik’s face to Adam’s, but they all knew that Charles was referring to more than just the two of them.

“I honestly don’t know what I want.” Erik sounded surprised by the words that came from his lips, a confused look settling heavy on his face. “I don’t know, Charles. For the first time, I really don’t know what comes next.”

Charles nodded, pursing his lips and sending a thought in Adam’s direction. He watched as Adam’s brow furrowed and then softened, his head bobbing almost imperceptibly if Charles hadn’t been watching for it. Charles looked over at Erik, spinning the wheels on his chair until he was facing him front on, lips beginning to curve up in a smile even as he spoke. “Why don’t we figure out what comes next together, alright?”

For the first time in a year, Erik’s voice filled Charles’ head, and it felt so much more than the images had, so much that Charles felt himself holding his breath. _Thank you._

 

 **  
_Erik_   
**

Erik woke up the morning after he visited the mansion, his eyes feeling dry and scratchy as he forced them open to the dim light starting to filter in through the cheap hotel curtains. Charles had told him he could stay, that he would always have a bed in the mansion, but Erik couldn’t do it, not so soon. Being around Charles had been overwhelming in a way Erik hadn’t expected, his presence feeling heavy and thick all around Erik’s mind, even if he wasn’t even reaching out. He groaned as he swung his feet over the edge of the bed, his toes digging into the carpet in a vain attempt at a stretch, and his brain tried to make sense of what had happened, what he’d learned. His heart had dropped into his gut the moment he saw Charles in that chair, with the knowledge that it was Erik that had put him there. Of course he’d known there was a chance when he pulled the bullet from Charles’ back, but he hadn’t let himself dwell on it, throwing himself into trying to find a new purpose, trying to force his group of mutants into a team they would never be. And seeing Adam storm out of the house like that, he’d expected the anger, he’d wanted and courted it, but the hurt, that was something that took him aback, the breath punched out of his lungs at the sheer honesty of the emotion splashed across Adam’s face. Erik was fairly certain the only emotion he’d ever felt that strongly was anger, at least since the moment when an excruciatingly sharp burst of sadness and pain had bled into rage, rage that he didn’t think would ever leave him, even now with his vendetta against Shaw satisfied.

At least, his vendetta was supposed to be satisfied. When he watched that coin burrow through Shaw’s skull, he felt a brilliant rush of accomplishment and only a little bit of regret that he couldn’t see the horrid look of pain on Shaw’s face he’d always imagined. Then the coin dropped to the floor, little speckles of Shaw’s blood splattering around it, and the rush was gone, leaving Erik’s chest empty, but a kind of emptiness that was unfamiliar. It was like the pain that had propelled him forward since he was a child had been scooped out, leaving behind a ragged wound that Erik didn’t yet know how to heal. He’d tried, taking on the mantle of leader for those left behind by Shaw, grand ideas of advancing mutants forward until they took their rightful place atop humanity on the food chain, but it didn’t take him long to discover that more than an idea was needed to move forward. The others had grown frustrated with him, though no one was more frustrated then himself. It was Raven who finally told him to get himself together and figure it out, Raven who actually had the gall to step too close to him and smack him across the face, startling him into listening.

It was Raven’s fault that he was now sitting on the edge of a hard hotel mattress, wishing he could make the previous night never happen, while at the same time wanting to drive as fast as he could to get back there, to feel Charles warm and alive under his hands, to hear and see the colours of Adam’s laugh filling the air around them. He sighed deeply, raking a hand through his hair. He’d made it this far, surely he could make it the rest of the way. A small smile crept onto his lips as he imagined the look on Raven’s face if he tried to come back to her without at least attempting to fix it, whatever it was that needed fixing, and that thought was enough to propel him to his feet. As he dressed, he wondered what it meant that of all the times he’d been made to do things that frightened him, the only two people who’d been able to do that without using his own pain against him, the only two people he’d felt drawn towards almost magnetically had grown up as nearly siblings. He pushed that to the back of his mind as he walked quickly and determinedly out of the hotel, his mind more than occupied enough without dealing with that particular thought today.

The mansion looked smaller now, smaller than it had a year ago and smaller than it had even the night before. In the months Erik had been gone, he’d built it up in his head, a monument of some sort, representing so much more than just a collection of stones and mortar. He stood in front of it now, the grass still damp with morning dew, the world still waking up around him, and he saw it as it really was. It was a home; a very grand home, but a home nonetheless, and it struck Erik that he’d never had a home to go back to, not since he’d been dragged out of his by a man in a brown uniform, clinging to his mother so hard his knuckles had gone white and he’d left red crescents in the skin of her wrist. From the bottom of the drive he could see the door swing inwards, could just barely make out Charles’ face in the brightening morning light. Charles lifted a hand in a wave, a slight smile curving his lips, and something lightened in Erik’s chest. As he strode towards the mansion, thoughts of _home_ flitted around the edges of Erik’s mind, and even as he pushed them away he knew they had precious little to do with the mansion.

Charles’ face as Erik reached him was warm and open, the easy smile that Erik remembered so well. “Erik, good morning.” He wheeled himself backwards easily and gestured for Erik to step through the door and into the bustle of early morning in what was now Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. Charles may not have had many children yet, but the ones he did have sure seemed to have a knack for making more than enough noise. Erik heard a crash and a high shriek from upstairs, followed by a shout of “you idiot!”, loud enough that he would swear the rafters rattled.

A low chuckle escaped from Charles’ lips, and he looked up at Erik. “That will be Monet. I think you’ll like her, she’s...spirited.” As if on cue, a pretty young girl with long, dark hair stormed down the stairs, her eyes wild, and her fists clenched.

Erik caught the beginning of the conversation, Monet hollering “Professor Xavier!” at the top of her lungs as she stomped up to his chair, but from there he only caught a random selection of words. He caught “Rictor” and “broken” and “idiot” again, but it took him longer than he wanted to admit to realize that much of the conversation was happening silently, Monet only exclaiming out loud when she reached a particularly tense part of the story.

“Monet, I’m sorry about your things, and I’ll talk to Rictor about using his powers in the house.” A pause, during which Monet rolled her eyes and furrowed her brow. “Yes, I will talk to him _again_. Breakfast in ten minutes, Monet, please be there.” Monet huffed and spun on her heels, dark hair whipping behind her as she stomped back up the stairs so hard that Erik thought she might go through.

“Spirited, hmm?” Erik couldn’t help the smile that crept onto his face as Charles ran his hand over his face, sighing. "She’s like you then?” They continued further into the house, heading towards the kitchen, and Erik found himself reaching out to rest a hand on the back of Charles’ chair as they walked.

"She's a telepath, yes." Charles laughed lightly, turning his face up to Erik. "I believe that is where our similarities end, however. Even as a teenager, I don’t think I had half so much...energy.” There was exasperation clear in his voice, but it was all wrapped in a kind of soft fondness that Erik just found so perfectly _Charles_ , he tightened his hand on the back of Charles’ chair to keep from sliding it down to his shoulder or into his hair.

“You really seem to have your hands full here. You have how many students?” Erik let his eyes wander as they walked, taking in every nook and cranny of the mansion, looking for anything different and everything familiar.

“Half a dozen, if you consider Alex and Sean students. I do, but they certainly do not.” Another smile from Charles as they turned a corner, the sounds from the kitchen drawing them to the end of the hall. “But with them, Hank, and of course Adam, we’re doing quite well, I think. I would love to have more students, and Hank’s almost done rebuilding Cerebro here, so I should be able to search for more soon.”

The excitement was clear in Charles’ voice, the desire strong to bring children to his home and help them to work with their mutations, to learn not to be ashamed of what they were. Erik could see where their desires overlapped, where their missions began so similarly, but as Charles had told him weakly on the beach, they did not want the same things. “Charles, I am glad that you’ve allowed me back into your home.” He couldn’t use the word _welcomed_ , not yet. “But I must ask you what you have in mind for me to do. You must know I am not a teacher at heart.”

Charles stopped his chair, just outside the kitchen door. “Maybe not, but you have much to teach them, Erik, I can see that. Trust me. It will take time, but I do believe they will grow fond of you.” Erik nodded, and stepped around Charles to push open the door of the kitchen, and stepped into the din, the noise level surely higher than half a dozen students and a few adults could ever actually make. Many faces paused and looked up at him, some familiar and hard, some new and curious, one very familiar, with so many emotions laid bare that Erik had to swallow around a lump the size of a grapefruit.

Erik put a grin on his face and slid his jacket from his arms, tossing it over a nearby chair. “So, what’s for breakfast?”

 

In the weeks that followed, Erik learned many things. First, he learned that half a dozen students could absolutely make that much noise, especially when one of them had the power to make the whole mansion shake, and another was Monet and very prone to dramatics. Second, he learned that Charles had been correct when he said it would take time. He’d been met with a reception that was frosty at best, and downright hostile at worst. Hank was the worst of them, would hardly even look at him, his lips curling up over his teeth briefly before he caught himself and schooled his features back into careful blankness. Erik stopped trying to reach out to him after the day when he’d put his hand on Hank’s shoulder in greeting and was met with a growl, the sound seeming to even startle Hank himself as it snarled out of his chest. Lifting his hands in a kind of surrender, Erik had backed away with an apology, fairly certain that this was a bridge he could never rebuild.

Alex and Sean seemed mostly indifferent to his presence, but Erik was starting to see that the indifference may have been on purpose. Charles had given Erik the task of teaching the children defense, among other things, because everyone would admit that was far more Erik’s strong suit than it would ever be Charles’ or any of the others. When they ran drills, the entire house gathered to work together, breaking off into teams and attempting to outwit their opponents, and after a particularly skilled move on Erik’s part, he had more than once caught Alex or Sean cheering him on before receiving a sidelong glance from Hank, that was more than enough to shut them up. Erik felt the first bit of real progress after training one day when Alex hung around after everyone else, clapping Erik on the back and smiling. “Good practice, you’re really turning these kids into a team. Glad you’re here.” He’d walked away before Erik could respond, but the crack in the collective armour of the mansion was big enough that Erik was starting to see light bleeding through, and it gave him something to chip away at.

The one shell Erik was trying hardest to chip away at, and having the least success was with Adam. Charles had seemingly forgiven him for leaving, for hurting him in all the ways he had, but Adam, Adam was struggling more than Erik could have imagined. He could see it every time Adam walked into a room where Erik was, the flash of fondness or happiness in his eyes in the instant before he remembered what Erik had to done, to him, to Charles, and to all of them, and then the stony mask was back, a hard edge to Adam’s eyes that make Erik’s gut ache. Erik cared deeply for Adam, and right now the thing he loved most about Adam was the thing that was nearly driving him mad. Adam was stubborn and hard-headed, so strong in his opinions that he was nearly unmovable once decided, especially when someone he cared about was involved. He loved with every fibre of his being, willing to give anything and everything to keep the person he loved safe and happy, and Erik could see the way he was being torn apart.

The three of them had all loved one another, each of their shortcomings being held up by another’s strengths in a way Erik didn’t pretend to understand. He didn’t know what Charles and Adam’s relationship had been like this last year, but when he watched them together now, he could see how much closer they’d become in his absence. The kind of easy affection they shared now was different than what Erik remembered, a gentle touch of Adam’s hand on Charles’ shoulder, or Charles’ tilting his face up to smile softly and secretly at Adam, every movement looking familiar and comfortable. Like a bulb flashing in his head, Erik finally realized that Adam’s anger towards him wasn’t just for the way that Erik had hurt him, but for the way that Erik had hurt Charles. Adam had loved them both, one man he loved hurting the other, leaving him broken in body and nearly in mind, and Erik imagined he would feel caught, trapped between mourning the man that was gone, and repairing the man that was left behind. Watching as Adam bent down to press a kiss to Charles’ temple, a light laugh carrying across the room to reach Erik’s ear, Erik ached to be standing with them, and knew that it was Adam he’d have to convince that he was still worth it.

 

Erik had been coming to the mansion almost daily for nearly two months when he finally experienced what he would come to look back on as a real breakthrough with the children. After that brief moment with Alex, things had gotten slightly easier around the mansion, the tension lifting just enough that he no longer dreaded walking up to the door each morning. Maybe Hank wasn’t greeting him yet, but neither was he snarling and storming out of rooms whenever Erik entered, and Erik counted every little thing as progress. Over the last weeks, Erik had come to know each of the new students, both through Charles’ notes on them, and through his own first hand experiences teaching them. In addition to teaching them defense, Charles’ took advantage of Erik’s knowledge of many languages to add to his curriculum, making it compulsory that each of the students learn at least one new language. Monet and Rictor weren’t exactly keen on the idea, both of them already fluent in two languages, but eventually the students split down the middle, Monet and Ororo learning Spanish, and Rictor and Gav learning French. From the very first day of classes, the relationships between these two pairs were obvious, and couldn’t be more different.

The rooms that were used for teaching were varied in size, and Erik’s language room used to be a rather small drawing room on the second floor. Even so, Monet and Ororo managed to sit as far apart from one another as the space would allow, shooting the kind of evil glances at one another than only teenage girls are capable of. They competed like athletes in everything, their hands shooting up so fast Erik was worried they might hurt themselves. He found the competition truly unnecessary as both girls were actually quite brilliant, and he found himself drawn to Ororo, wanting to pull her out of the shell he was just starting to see crack. Monet clearly held the dominant position between them, but when they argued, Erik could see Ororo’s fist clenching, her teeth grinding with the effort of staying calm. Erik knew that feeling well, recognizing the fog that often crept along the floor and the way her eyes whited out when Ororo was mad as similar to the way that things rattled around him. Or had, before Charles had got to him.

One day after class he held Ororo back, his hand gentle on her shoulder as he stopped her at the door. “Ororo, can I talk to you for a moment?”

“Yes, Mr. Lehnsherr?” Ororo turned, brushing a strand of shocking white hair back from her face and shifting her books from one arm to the other.

Erik leaned back onto the desk, resting his hands on the edge and smiled, trying to put the girl at ease. He knew that they had only begun training because he had been coming, and he could only imagine what they’d been told about him. “I’ve noticed you struggling with your powers. Fighting them.”

Ororo nodded, her cheeks colouring a little. “When I’m upset, mad or something, sometimes I can’t control it, it just happens.” Her lips quirked up in a little smile, and she looked up at Erik through her hair. “One time, Monet borrowed a necklace that belonged to my mother and I got so mad a storm formed over the house. Lightning struck the window over Monet’s bed.”

“And that was completely accidental, I’m sure.” Erik fought the urge to laugh, the secret glee in Ororo’s eyes contagious. “Well, Ororo, can I tell you something?” When she nodded, Erik went on, leaning down closer to her level. “When I was younger, I used to have trouble controlling my powers much like you do. When I was mad or scared or hurt, everything around me would rattle or fly across the room, and I couldn’t stop it. Eventually, I was sure I couldn’t use my powers unless I was angry, so I was always angry.”

“But you learned to control it?” Ororo looked up at him, her smile bleeding into a look of hope.

“I did. Your Professor Xavier taught me better than anyone how to do it. When something or someone is upsetting you, you’ll never have full control over your powers unless you understand where they really come from. You have to find that place inside,” Erik paused, touching his own heart and then reaching out to touch Ororo’s. “That place where you can feel your power stirring. Charles, I mean, Professor Xavier told me to find the place between rage and serenity, and it worked for me. Look inside and find your own place, Ororo, once you do, no one will be able control your powers but you.”

Ororo nodded, but she looked a little unsure as she stepped from the room. Erik knew that what he said probably seemed rather heavy and useless to a teenager, but he trusted that Ororo was smart and sensitive enough to understand it, given the time. And sure enough, it was only days before he noticed a marked difference in her demeanour, even in the way she carried herself. She held her head high even when Monet was at her worst, her eyes remaining peaceful and calm and dark, and the air in the classroom remaining blissfully fog-free.

They never talked about their discussion after that day, but Erik had a hunch Ororo had talked to others about it. The other kids seemed easier around him suddenly, but he most noticed the way that Adam looked at him, his eyes soft around the edges, a hint of a confusion creased on his brow, as if he couldn’t quite make what he’d heard mesh with what had taken residence in his head over the last year. More than once, Erik caught Adam watching him as they trained or even just as they shared lunch in the bustling kitchen, and he could swear he saw Adam’s fingers twitch towards him. Erik ached to reach out and close the distance, but he knew he couldn’t be the one to make that move, not with Adam. Until Adam was ready to come to him, or at least meet him halfway, Erik curled his fingers into his hand, digging his nails in until the sharp bite of pain snapped him back to the moment, lifting his eyes until they met Adam’s, just for a beat, a twitch around the corners of Adam’s mouth that might have become a smile. It may have been slow, but it was definitely progress.

Considering the house was full of teenagers who weren’t only full of raging hormones, but also with volatile genetics, Erik was constantly surprised at the lack of violent outbursts. Any disagreement between the children could usually be handled relatively easily with Charles’ firm but gentle voice, or Adam’s unique way of diffusing tension with a laugh. That was why Erik was jolted fully out of the book he was reading when he heard a smash upstairs, followed by a loud bellow, another crash, and a rather disturbing silence. Erik moved quickly, his feet carrying him up the stairs and down the hall where he was met with a crowd, Monet, Ororo, Alex and Sean staring shocked and more than a little scared at a door that was shut, at least as much as it could be with the state of its hinges.

Erik could feel Charles pressing against his mind with urgency and frustration that he couldn’t easily get up there himself, and Erik let him in without hesitation, letting him watch through through Erik’s eyes. “What’s happening?”

Ororo looked up at him, her eyes wide and worried. “It’s Gav, I don’t know what’s wrong but he just lost it. Ric’s in there with him.” She winced as something else crashed from behind the door, but no one inside screamed which made Erik feel a little better. He ran through what Charles’ had told him about Gav when he’d arrived, how he seemed to have no memories of his life before the mansion except for heavy training in martial arts and swordsmanship. Now, as Charles’ thoughts mingled with his own, Erik learned that Charles had almost been expecting a breakdown, and at the very least wasn’t surprised at this turn of events.

“Okay, all of you just stay out here. I’ll see what I can do.” Erik pushed his sleeves up to his elbows and moved the kids until they were standing behind him, well away from Gav’s door. “Gav? It’s Erik, I’m going to come in now, alright?”

The door swung inward and nearly crashed to the floor before Erik caught it with his powers, bending the metal of the hinges just enough to hold the door in the frame. There was debris all over the floor of the room, drawers turned out and them smashed, more than one window pane broken, and one of the beds sitting just slightly crooked. Rictor was sitting on the other bed, cross-legged and a little pale, his mouth set in a hard line. Erik nodded at him and turned to the far wall where Gav was pacing, his face red and his fists clenched and bloody, punching into the wall at random intervals. He could tell Gav was holding back at least a little; Erik was more than aware that if he wanted to, Gav could punch a hole nearly through to the other side, but he was only letting his fist dent the plaster, white powder falling to the floor around his feet.

“Ric, can you tell me what happened?” Erik moved closer to Rictor, keeping his eyes locked on Gav as he continued to pace, though he was starting to slow down.

“I don’t, I’m not really sure.” Rictor shook his head and raked a hand through his hair, looking up at Erik with a look in his eyes that made Erik’s stomach clench. “We were just, well, we were hanging out, and suddenly he just...I think maybe he remembered. Maybe I said something or did something, but he just went crazy.”

“This is not your fault, Rictor, I promise you that. Sometimes we don’t have control over our own memories, and they can hurt.” Erik reached out a squeezed Rictor’s shoulder quickly, glancing back to see that Gav had stopped pacing and was staring out the window, a hard look on his face. “Do you want to leave the room? I’m going to try to talk to him, and I don’t want you to get hurt if it goes...poorly.”

Rictor nodded, and stood on somewhat shaky legs, backing out of the room. Erik could tell he stopped directly on the other side of the door, but he couldn’t tell him to go any further away. It didn’t take a genius to see what those boys had, and Erik hoped they still had it at the end of the day. He walked slowly across the room, muscles just tense enough, and spoke softly as he moved up beside Gav. “Can you tell me what happened?”

Gav turned to look at him, his eyes shining with a look that Erik knew well, a look of pain and rage that he’d seen looking back at himself in the mirror more days of his life than not. “I remembered. Not everything, but I didn’t even realize I’d forgotten anything.” The room was silent for several long moments, the two of them just staring at each other until Gav continued. “They made me this way. When I was young, really young, they trained me. Made me into a killer. That’s what I am, an assassin.”

Erik took in a short sharp breath, his heart thumping. He could still feel Charles in his head, and he pushed back now, pushing until Charles got the hint and his mind was his own again. This was something that needed to be between Gav and Erik, the only person in the mansion who could understand what Gav had just remembered. “Can we sit down? I’d like to tell you a few things.”

They found a clean spot on the floor, Gav curling himself up in a corner, his brow furrowed deep with rage and sadness as Erik began his story. He hadn’t been sure how much the children had been told about his past, but the answer quickly became clear as Gav looked up at him with wide eyes, reaching up to touch the mark around his eye that he’d always assumed was a birthmark as Erik slid his fingers over his own mark on the soft skin of his forearm. “I can’t tell you that I’ve gotten over what happened to me, because I haven’t, and I don’t know that I ever will. What I can tell you, is that no matter what anyone has done to you, your actions are your own now, no one else’s. You can choose to be the killer they wanted you to be, or you can use your powers and your skills for all the good that your professor wants to do in the world. What do you choose, Gav?”

Gav looked at him, quiet and thoughtful and then looked down at his bloodied knuckles. He flexed his hands, and Erik could see him thinking, see the anger warring inside him, fighting to win out over the calm that had crept in. His eyes were a little wild when he looked up at Erik, near manic, and there was a dark edge to his voice when he spoke. “You know who made you like this though, you’ve known all along and you got to deal with it. You got to kill him. I can’t do that, I don’t even know if what I remembered is real.”

Erik felt adrift in the conversation, grasping for what to say next, what would be the right thing. “Yes, I did know, and I did deal with it. But it didn’t make anything better. I spent my life chasing a monster, thinking ending his life would magically make everything better, would undo all the pain and anger I’d felt. But it didn’t. Perhaps I felt better at first, but it didn’t take long for that feeling to go away.”

“It didn’t make you feel better? But you got revenge, got him back.” Gav looked confused, leaning forward with a challenge in his eyes.

Erik nodded, gripping his hands into his thighs. This is not a conversation he wanted to have with anyone, least of all a teenager on the very edge of making a damaging decision. “I did, but it didn’t undo what he’d done to me. And in the end, I was no better than him. I gained nothing, Gav, and neither would you.” Erik knew he wasn’t telling Gav the whole truth, knew that there was so much more to it than what he’d just said, but he felt Charles’ thoughts of praise drift into his mind, and he stopped there. Sometimes, you had to pick and choose what to tell someone, and Erik was learning that went doubly so when dealing with teenagers.

Gav was quiet for a long time, sitting stock still and staring down at his hands, still clenching and unclenching his fingers, scabs starting to form on his bloody knuckles. Erik didn’t have to be able to read Gav’s mind to know what he was thinking, Erik’s words fighting with the adolescent idea that his problems would be solved if only he could destroy the person that caused them. All at once, the tension dropped from Gav’s shoulders, a sigh escaping his lips that fell somewhere between relief and resignation. “I guess you’re right. I mean, at least you understand it, no one else ever would, not even Ric.” Gav turned his eyes to the door for a moment, looking a little sad. “He tried, and I just shouted at him and threw the clock.”

“Well, another thing I can tell you, is if he really cares about you, he’ll forgive you, and I think he does.” Erik let it go unspoken that the only reason he was even here to talk to Gav right now was because Charles had cared enough about him to give him this second chance, but he could tell from the way that Gav’s eyes flicked up from his hands to Erik’s face, that he knew what Erik wasn’t saying.

A few more quiet moments passed, but then Gav looked up, his eyes cleared and his lips starting to curve up. It wasn’t quite his usual bright, easy grin, but it was a step in the right direction and Erik was glad to see it. “Thanks for telling me all that, Mr Lehnsherr, it means a lot that someone gets it. I think I know what I choose now.”

Erik reached out and squeezed Gav’s forearm, and then stood, brushing plaster dust and debris from his pants. “I wish nothing more than that you hadn’t needed my advice on this matter, Gav, but my door is always open if you need it. Now, there’s a boy in the hallway who cares very much for you, who is very scared, and there’s a room in a very serious state of disrepair. Why don’t you see what you can do about those things?” As Erik stepped into the hallway, passing many stunned faces, it occurred to him just how much like Charles he’d sounded then, and how much he’d actually grown to care about the children. In the past, that realization would have sent him bolting like a spooked horse, and there was a large part of him that still wanted to run as far and as fast as he could, to where he was alone and unencumbered. But he found that another part of him felt anchored, to Charles, to Adam and to the mansion, and to his own surprise, he found that the feeling wasn’t entirely unwelcome.

 

After that, Erik felt like an entirely different atmosphere had taken over the mansion. The last of the tension he’d felt from the children had vanished when they saw how he’d helped Gav, and it seemed that the others finally believed that Erik was really on their team. Even Hank wished him a gruff good morning when he came into the kitchen, and accepted the cup of strong coffee that Erik passed him with a tight smile. It was small, but it was farther than Erik had expected to get with Hank, and he welcomed it.

Nearly a week after the incident with Gav, Adam stepped up to Erik after a lesson and pulled him aside, his fingers gentle and firm all at once on Erik’s arms. “Hey, so, can you come to the study after dinner tonight? I want to talk to you.” Adam’s eyes were soft around the edges and a smile was playing at his lips, and Erik felt a little swell of hope deep in his gut, a feeling he for once didn’t tamp down, letting it spread warmly through his belly. He nodded, telling Adam that of course he’d be there, and went through the rest of his day mechanically, ticking of one task after another until the sun finally started to drop behind the horizon and Charles’ voice rang out in his head calling them all to dinner.

The meal was like it always was, loud and chaotic and wonderful, everyone talking over each other and kicking each other under the table, every story becoming more and more elaborate as it travelled around the table. Even Erik, who’d started off the meal pushing his food around his plate nervously had joined in, his tale of Alex nearly blowing up the entire east wing of the house even causing Hank to crack a smile that disappeared almost as quickly as Erik spotted it, but he counted it as a victory regardless. One by one the children filtered off, to watch television, to listen to the radio, and in no cases, to do their homework. Alex and Sean went outside to play basketball until the sun went down, and Hank looked back and forth between Erik, Charles and Adam awkwardly for a few long moments before excusing himself to his lab to continue rebuilding Cerebro.

Adam stood, briefly smiling at Charles before turning to Erik. “So, care to join me for a drink?”

“Of course.” Erik was pleased that his voice was only a little rough, and he stood, following Adam to the door of the dining room before pausing to look back at Charles. “Is Charles not joining us?”

“Not yet, my friend. I’m going to leave you to it for now.” Charles wiped his hands on his napkin and smiled easily at them, pushing himself away from the table and towards the door. “I believe I’ll go see what’s on television, they do hate it when I join them.”

Erik stepped aside to allow Charles to pass, and watched him nearly his entire trip down the hall until he felt Adam’s fingers brush his arm and looked up to meet his eyes, crinkled with a hint of amusement. “Come on.”

The study would probably feel stuffy to most other people, but Erik had such memories of it that it felt warm and comfortable as he settled into the stiff leather couch, drink already beginning to sweat in his hand. To his surprise, Adam sat on the couch next to him, folding his long legs under him with the kind of ease in his own body that Erik envied. Adam took a sip of his own drink, wincing as he always did at the first sharp burn of Charles’ best scotch sliding down his throat.

“I wanted to tell you I really appreciate what you did with Gav. I don’t know what you said to him, but thank you. Charles and I...we still don’t know what he’s been through, but he obviously found someone to relate to in you.”

Erik drained his glass in one swallow, but kept the glass in his hand for something to hang onto. “Gav’s a good kid, but he’s dealt with more than even he’ll probably ever know. I know what it’s like to be unsure of your own identity, and he has support I never did. He’ll be alright.” He looked down into his empty glass, tilting it to distort the view of his fingers through it. “If I’m being honest, I surprised myself in that moment. I very much doubt I would have given him good advice before...” Erik waved his hand around, gesturing broadly, and Adam nodded.

Adam reached out and caught Erik’s hand, wrapping his fingers gently around his wrist. “I know. That’s why I wanted to talk to you. I’m not apologizing for the way I’ve treated you, because you deserved every single thing I’ve said or done for what you did to us.” His eyes flicked sideways for a moment, and Erik heard the unspoken _to Charles_ as loudly as if Adam had shouted it. He opened his mouth to respond, but Adam’s fingers tightened on his wrist and he kept quiet, letting him continue.

“But I do think you’ve shown that you’re trying, trying to make up for it, and I see why Charles wanted to give you a second chance. I do think you deserve it.” Adam drained his glass and set it down, licking his lips and smiling, letting go of Erik’s wrist and settling back against the arm of the couch. “While we’re being honest, can I ask you one question?”

“Of course, anything.” Erik set his own glass down and turned to face Adam, folding one leg underneath him and threading his fingers together.

“Do you really see this life interesting you forever? Could you give up your beliefs and your mission for ours? For Charles’?” There was no malice on Adam’s face, nothing but genuine curiosity, and Erik answered with honesty.

He shook his head, not breaking eye contact with Adam. “Honestly, I don’t believe that I can. As much as I dearly wish to have Charles and you by my side in my journey, I don’t believe that is part of the plan.” Erik smiled, just a little sadly and reached out to brush his fingers over the back of Adam’s hand. “We’re very different, and I would never ask you to give up your beliefs to join me, if the day comes when I have to go. But for now, I do feel like I belong here, and I do believe that this school will be more valuable than even Charles yet knows, and I am honoured to be part of it.”

Adam nodded, and was quiet for a few moments, his brow furrowing as he thought. When he looked back to Erik’s eyes, he was smiling, and he turned his hand under Erik’s touch to slide their fingers together. “I thought that’s what you’d say, thanks for being honest with me.” He slid forward on the couch, shifting until his leg was pressed against Erik’s, his thumb rubbing gentle circles in the back of Erik’s hand. “I am glad you came back, Erik. I missed you. Charles missed you. If it’s only for now, I want to make the most of having you back.”

Even with as long as he’d been gone, Erik would never not recognize the tone in Adam’s voice, the kind of rumble that made deep purple flash around Adam’s head when he was less controlled. Erik was silent for a moment, waiting for the catch, when he felt Charles in his mind, knowing that he was in Adam’s as well and had probably been listening the whole time. _Well, are you coming? I would like to make the most of for now as well._ Erik felt a laugh ripple through his chest, deep and cleansing and joyful and he managed to nod, letting Adam pull him up off the sofa, pressing their bodies close as they walked. Erik had never been good at living in the moment, but tonight he was going to try harder than he ever had.

 

When Adam pushed open the door to Charles’ bedroom, Erik was struck with a wave of memories. The time he’d pushed Charles back up against the windows and they’d made love, even though the windows faced the back yard where there was always training happening. The bookshelves in the corner that were still broken from the time he’d hoisted Adam up onto them and their powers had gotten out of control, lights sparking around them and the metallic screech of screws spinning in their places filling the air until books starting crashing to the floor, the shelves following, only Erik’s arms keeping Adam from falling with them. Erik eyes finally settled on Charles, already in the bed, reclining against the pillows, and he couldn’t help but notice all the unfamiliar things.

Charles’ chair was wheeled up close to the bed, and Erik noticed the careful way the pillows were positioned behind his back, helping him to sit more easily. There were pill bottles laid out on the night stand, more than he would have expected, and a black bag the likes of which he’d only ever seen a doctor carry. His powers told him there were metal implements inside the bag, but he stopped short of trying to trace the shapes, somewhere between not wanting to pry and not wanting to know, the reality of Charles’ condition washing over him, his breath catching in his throat as he looked up to Charles’ face, the soft, knowing smile he recognized so well settled comfortably on his lips.

“I don’t need to be in your mind you know what you’re thinking, Erik, and you needn’t be thinking it. I am quite well, despite the obvious.” Charles waved his hand dismissively at his chair and then his smile widened, and he beckoned them forward. “I see your talk went well. I was certainly hoping that it would.”

The last of the knot that had lived curled up in Erik’s belly since the moment he’d driven up to the mansion those months ago unfurled at Charles’ words, at the familiar teasing and slightly raunchy tone in Charles’ voice. Erik felt Adam’s hand on the small of his back, firm enough to push him forward and he went willingly, closing the distance between himself and the bed, letting Charles’ hand take his own when he got there. Charles tugged him down until he was sitting on the edge of the bed, and Erik closed the rest of the gap, bending down to take Charles’ lips in a gentle kiss of ‘hello, love, I’ve missed you’. Charles’ hand slid up Erik’s arm and over his back to move up and tangle in his hair, tugging Erik even closer into a deeper, dirtier kiss. Erik groaned as Charles’ tongue slid over his own even as his mind pressed against Erik’s, the feeling of Charles’ words in his head more than welcome.

 _I’ve had months to say hello to you, Erik, there is so much more I wish to say._

Erik let Charles pull him even closer, Charles’ hands sliding eagerly over Erik’s back, tugging his shirt up out of his trousers even as Erik felt the bed dip next to him. Adam’s hands joined Charles’ on his back, sliding lower as Adam pressed a wet kiss to the nape of Erik’s neck, his hands moving around to work open Erik’s belt until he could slide his trousers down his legs. A soft curse left Adam’s lips when Erik’s trousers got caught on his shoes, and Erik started to laugh until Adam bent to sink his teeth into soft flesh of Erik’s thigh as he tugged off Erik’s shoes, his trousers and boxers finally falling to the floor. Adam kissed and nipped his way back up Erik’s thigh and over the curve of his ass, pausing to swirl his tongue through the dip at the base of Erik’s spine, sending a shiver through his body.

Erik’s head was already spinning from the sensations, Charles’ mouth on his and his body pressed against Erik’s, Adam’s tongue teasing over all the sensitive spots on his back that Erik had forgotten he even had. He managed to get his hands to cooperate with his brain and he slid them over Charles’ body, feeling the newly defined muscles in his arms and shoulders, sliding down over his chest to brush over his nipples, starting a little when Charles’ gasped, his body arching sharply up against Erik’s hands.

Adam’s breath was warm against Erik’s back as he chuckled, speaking as Charles panted under Erik’s touch. “Yeah, that’s kind of new. If you use your mouth he can come from just that.”

“Really, now?” Erik smirked, his eyes glinting as his hands pushed Charles’ shirt up and over his head, Charles’ cheeks coloured bright pink as he dropped his hands back to tangle in Erik’s hair.

“Don’t I get to have any secrets?” Charles tried for light and teasing, but it came out throaty as Erik bent his head to lave his tongue over Charles’ nipple, the flesh pebbling dark and rosy as Charles’ groaned, his hand tightening enough in Erik’s hair to hurt.

Erik kept up his gentle torture, alternating between light flicking and long licks until Charles’ was nearly quivering beneath him, and he felt Adam move away, heard the sound of clothing hitting the floor. When he tore his mouth away from Charles’ sensitive flesh for a moment, he saw Adam’s long body stretched out next him, a flush spreading over his chest, his hand lazily fisting his cock as he watched them with a smile.

“Don’t let me stop you, I’ve missed watching you together. You’re both beautiful.” He reached out with his free hand to brush a sweat dampened curl from Charles’ forehead, looking at him so soft and loving that Erik’s breath caught in his throat and he had to reach out until Adam met him halfway, their mouths meeting and fitting together like they were meant to be.

Adam tasted sweet and spicy like he always had, his teeth scraping over Erik’s lip in a way that no one else could ever match. Erik groaned into his mouth, a result of the kiss and of Charles’ hands sliding down his back, one snaking around to stroke over his cock, pressing just hard enough to make Erik’s gut clench. Adam deepened the kiss quickly, kissing until they were both breathless and then pulling back, his eyes bright and a little wild as he pushed at Erik’s shoulder, guiding him until he got the hint and dropped his head back to Charles.

Erik brushed a kiss over Charles’ lips, just deep enough to share Adam’s taste with them before moving lower, kissing and biting his way along Charles’ jaw and then his throat, finding all the spots that made Charles gasp and sigh and writhe underneath him. He let his hands wander even lower, brushing over Charles’ nipples briefly, stroking over his arms and hands, sweeping low over his belly to shove Charles’ pants down, thankful he had already dressed for bed, the elastic waist of his sweatpants about as much as Erik’s eager fingers could handle. When the last of Charles’ clothes fell to the floor, Erik began kissing a path past Charles’ throat, reaching out into his mind as he laved his tongue over Charles’ collarbones.

 _What’s okay, Charles? What can you...what can I do? What do you want?_ Erik didn’t know how to phrase what he wanted to know, how to ask what Charles could feel. He found a particularly tender spot at the edge of Charles’ collarbone and worried it between his teeth while Charles’ panted, even the words filtering into Erik’s mind sounding breathy.

 _If you let me in, you can do anything. Your hands, your mouth, your thoughts, that’s all I need._ Charles let out a shaky moan when Erik closed his lips around his nipple, and Erik answered it, his hips stuttering, his cock sliding over Charles’ hip, leaving a shining smear behind.

Erik scrapped his teeth over Charles’ nipple, his hand sliding down Charles’ body to cup his cock, hard and already wet when he rubbed his fingers over the head. He opened his mind and pushed what he was feeling to Charles, letting him feel how hard and silky his own cock was, how hot his skin was under Erik’s mouth. Charles’ next moan was muffled, and Erik groaned when he looked up to see Adam and Charles kissing, uncoordinated and messy as Charles’ panted. He had one hand in Erik’s hair and the other skated up Adam’s back to tangle in his hair, holding both men close to him.

When Erik laved a hot path between Charles’ nipples, Adam’s hand rubbed warm and heavy over Charles’ chest, his fingers teasing at the nipple Erik’s mouth had just left behind. Charles’ hand gripped tighter into Erik’s hair, his mind filling with _more_ , the taste of Adam’s mouth on his tongue as Charles’ powers started to slip.

 _That’s right, Charles, let go._ Erik kept swirling his tongue around and around Charles’ nipple, pausing to bite and suck in a pattern even a telepath couldn’t guess. He stroked Charles’ cock firm and slow, swirling his thumb over the wet head and telling Charles’ just go much he was enjoying it. _Love to see you like this, panting and desperate. Can you feel how hard your cock is in my hand? God, I’ve missed it Charles, missed you so much._

Charles tossed his head back hard, Adam pulling away just in time, bending back down to suck kisses to Charles’ throat. Little gasps and moans were spilling from Charles’ lips even as he spoke to Erik in his head, his words there barely more coherent. _Missed you too, Erik, more. More, please, Erik, please._

Erik obliged more than willingly; there would be time for teasing later. He redoubled his efforts, his fist stroking Charles’ cock faster, sucking harder on Charles’ nipples even as Adam sucked a deep mark into the tender spot on Charles’ collarbone, kissing path over to Charles’ shoulder. Charles was moaning nearly constantly now, his thoughts filling Erik’s head in a jumble that made Erik’s heart race and his breath come in shaky gasps. He tried to watch as Adam kissed down Charles’ arm, teeth scraping over the soft skin on the inside, nipping at the bend of his elbow and soothing the sting with his tongue.

When Charles’ orgasm started to build, Erik could feel it in his own head and his own body, the familiar fuzzy-edged pleasure building in his gut as Charles’ muscles tightened and his shoulders arched off the bed. He could feel Charles trying to hold back, see the way the tendons in his neck stood out as he panted and gasped, trying to stop the waves that were barrelling down on him. Erik watched as Adam moved back up to Charles’ face, pressing his lips to Charles’ ear and speaking soft and low enough that Erik couldn’t hear. He could, however, see the flush that spread even brighter across Charles’ cheeks, could feel the sudden swell of lust spill over into his own brain and he wished deeply that he could hear Adam’s words.

Erik sucked Charles’ nipple into his mouth, biting down hard on the over-sensitive flesh as he twisted his wrist on Charles’ cock, and Charles’ came with a hoarse cry. His come spilled hot over Erik’s fingers, and Erik stroked him through it, laving his tongue gently over Charles’ abused nipple as he milked every last drop out of Charles’ cock. Erik’s mind was assaulted with Charles’ thoughts, a chaotic medley of _yes, Erik, Adam, please, more_ making Erik groan loudly, his cock twitching against Charles’ hip. Erik lifted his hand to his mouth, sighing as he started licking his fingers clean, only getting one clean before he felt strong fingers wrapping around his wrist and pulling his hand forward.

Adam’s eyes were dark when Erik caught them, and they fluttered shut when he took Erik’s slick fingers into his mouth, swirling his tongue around the digits far more than was necessary just to clean them. Adam opened his eyes when he turned Erik’s hand to lave over his palm, and Erik had to bite his lip to quell the sudden surge of lust in his gut.

“Erik.” Charles’ voice was thick, and when Erik turned to look at him he looked as wrecked as he sounded. His hair fell on his forehead in damp curls, his cheeks flushed and his lips bitten cherry-red, and Erik reached out to twine one of those curls around his finger before Charles pulled him down into a deep kiss. Erik plunged his tongue into Charles’ mouth and knew that Charles was tasting himself, and the thought made him rock his hips down against Charles’, the remains of Charles’ orgasm smearing over Erik’s skin. Charles slid his hands down Erik’s sides, one sneaking around to wrap around Erik’s cock and stroke lightly, just enough to have Erik gasping against Charles’ mouth.

 _I want to watch you with Adam. Since...there are things we have been missing._ The silence in Erik’s mind was sudden, but soon Charles continued, sending Erik images to match the words. _That **he** has been missing._ Erik’s mind filled with images that he didn’t even know Charles had; he and Adam that day they’d destroyed the shelves, the first time they’d been together as three, when Charles had been inside Adam’s head as Erik fucked him. Erik was beginning to feel overwhelmed, his breath coming fast and shallow, forgetting just what it was like to be in bed with Charles Xavier.

He nodded, his cheek rubbing over Charles’, feeling the hint of stubble that was just starting to grow. _Yes, yes, I want that too, so much._

“I can tell that you two are talking about me, care to include me in the conversation?” Adam was grinning, sprawled back on his back with his legs spread easily, a hand working slow and gentle over his cock as he watched Charles and Erik. The calmness of his posture was betrayed by the mottled flush spread over his chest and the way his eyes fluttered shut just a little when his thumb rubbed over the head of his cock. Erik may have been overwhelmed, but at least Adam was there with him.

Erik pressed one last kiss to Charles’ lips and then climbed off of him, moving to settle in easily between Adam’s legs. He bent to put his lips to Adam’s ear, letting his voice rumble deeply in his chest the way he knew Adam loved. “I’m going to fuck you. Charles wants that, do you?”

A shiver ran through Adam’s body, and he wrapped his arms and legs around Erik, pulling him close until their cocks bumped together. They sighed in unison, and Adam’s voice came soft and breathy when he spoke. “Oh God, yes, fuck me, please.”

Never one who needed to be told twice, Erik reached out a hand and slid the bedside drawer open, glad to find that Charles as still a creature of habit. Adam fumbled out a hand and grabbed the lube, and soon Erik was rubbing two slick fingers over Adam’s hole, one pushing in slow and deep. A groan fell from Adam’s lips as his back arched, his body welcoming Erik’s finger easily, hips rocking into the intrusion. Erik had missed this, missed the hot clench of another body around his fingers, especially of Adam’s body. He’d missed the little noises that Adam made when he pushed in a second finger and then a third, greedy, impatient noises that managed to sound so sweet and so filthy all at once.

The bed dipped next to him, Charles shifting until he was closer to Adam, rolled up onto one elbow. He locked eyes with Erik and slid a hand down Adam’s body to join Erik’s where it was still working between Adam’s legs. He slid the tip of his finger around the rim of Adam’s hole, feeling where it was stretched tight around the press of Erik’s fingers, and slowly he worked his finger in alongside Erik’s, Adam letting out an eager whine, his legs falling impossibly wider. One of Adam’s hands gripped tight into the bedspread, the other flailing until it found Charles’ head, gripping into his hair and pulling him down into a wet and clumsy kiss, more teeth and panting than anything gentle.

Together they worked Adam with four fingers, a slick, deep slide. Adam groaned into Charles’ mouth when they twisted their fingers just right, a cloud of gold bursting in the air. Erik couldn’t help but reach his free hand out to try and touch the lights, and he imagined he could feel the colour tickling over his palm, even though he knew that was impossible. He felt Charles’ finger slide out of Adam’s body and trace around his hole again, and then Charles’ voice was in his head, as needy as if it was own body that had just had four fingers buried knuckle deep in it. _Now, Erik, now._ Erik wondered if Charles was inside Adam’s head, using his power to feel things his body wouldn’t let him anymore, and the thought of it made Erik’s cock twitch against his belly, his gut clenching with lust and so much more.

He pulled his fingers slowly from Adam, soothing him with a stroke to his thigh when Adam whimpered at the loss. Erik slicked himself up quickly and settled between Adam’s legs, his heart threatening to thump out of his chest as he gripped his fingers into Adam’s hips and pushed forward. He couldn’t help the deep groan that rumbled out of his throat as he slid home, bottoming out easily on the first thrust, Adam’s body welcoming him like he belonged. Erik tried to still himself, to slow down and make it last, but Adam’s long legs wrapped tight around his hips and urged him forward, heels digging into Erik’s ass hard enough to threaten bruises.

“Hard, please Erik, harder.” Adam rocked his hips up to meet Erik’s thrusts, and Erik happily obliged him, fucking in hard and fast. Erik had thought that when they came together again it would be gentle and maybe even tender, but now his skin burned for it, and he couldn’t have slowed down if his life depending on it. Beneath him, Adam was moaning and crying out, begging for more, and Erik bent over his body as far as he could, scraping his teeth across Adam’s lips and beckoning him into a kiss. As their lips crashed together, Erik felt Charles’ hand slide down his arm, tangling their fingers together where Erik was gripping Adam’s hip, and when he pulled breathlessly away from Adam’s lips, Charles was there. His face was flushed, his eyes glassy and lips wet, and Erik’s hips stuttered as he caught Charles’ eye, leaning in to kiss him, softer than he’d kissed Adam, but no less passionate.

Erik pulled back, panting, and slowed his thrusts, pushing in deep and staying buried in Adam’s body for a long as he could, drawing throaty moans from Adam with every roll of his hips. He could feel Charles in his head, a heavy presence that was almost vibrating with need, and he knew that Adam was close, knew that Charles was too, that he was feeling the phantom sensation of being fucked deep by Erik thanks to his powers. Erik could feel his own orgasm building, coming on slow and then sudden when Adam clamped down around him, rocking his hips up until Erik slid impossibly deeper. A strangled cry escaped Erik’s lips and he tried to hold back, but then Adam’s hands were on his back, nails digging in hard and dragging him down to kiss him, teeth clacking together and Erik was gone. He shouted into Adam’s mouth, pushing deep into Adam as he came, his come flooding hot and slick around his cock.

He let himself slump against Adam’s front and realized he was still hard, Adam’s cock pressing against his belly, leaving a damp trail. He pulled himself regretfully from Adam’s body and was about to reach a shaking hand to wrap around Adam’s cock when he felt Charles’ in his mind, his voice firm. _No, no, let me._

Charles pushed an image into Erik’s head, his voice reedy when he spoke. “Can you help me?”

It took a few moments and a few misplaced elbows, but soon Adam was backwards on the bed, on his hands and knees facing Charles’ feet. Erik helped Charles sit up higher against the pillows, his stomach doing a flip as he watched Charles’ fingers dig into Adam’s hips and pull him even closer. Charles ran a sure finger around the reddened rim of Adam’s hole, Erik’s come glistening on the edges when Charles slipped his finger just inside. He pulled on the rim, letting a drop of Erik’s come escape and leaned forward to lap it away, a strangled groan ripping from Adam’s chest at the motion.

Adam’s cock was bobbing against his belly, hard and shiny-wet at the tip, and Erik was torn between wanting to stay at the head of the bed and watch what Charles was doing, and wanting to move down to kiss Adam through it, stroke him fast and hard like he knew Adam loved. He settled for a bit of both, moving up the bed to capture lips just as Charles buried two fingers and his tongue deep in Adam’s ass, the moan that Erik swallowed sounding nearly pained. They kissed until Adam was breathless and panting, and then Erik pulled back, wrapping his hand around Adam’s cock and stroking in time with the thrusting of Charles’ fingers in Adam’s ass.

Charles was making obscene noises, and when he pulled away to steal a breath, Erik could see his face shiny and wet, smeared with lube and Erik’s come. A grin crept onto Charles’ face and he licked his lips exaggeratedly, letting his eyes flutter shut like he was tasting some delicious dessert. Erik groaned, mostly in frustration that his cock wasn’t ready for another round yet, but then Charles dove back in and Adam’s moans easily overpowered Erik’s.

Adam was rocking back and forth, pushing against Charles’ tongue and fingers and fucking into Erik’s fist, his arms starting to shake where they were holding him up. Erik moved his fist faster, rubbing his thumb over Adam’s leaking slit and moved back to Adam’s head to press his lips to Adam’s ear. “You’re so gorgeous like his, perfect even. You were made for this, for us, Adam. Weren’t you? Did you miss this like I did?” He nipped gently at Adam’s earlobe, sucking the abused flesh into his mouth briefly before continuing. “I missed having my cock in you and I can’t wait to do it again. Maybe even tonight. Could you do it again tonight? For me and for Charles? He always loved watching you get fucked. Even now with his mouth on you, he’s cleaning you out and getting you ready to go again, does it feel good, Adam?”

Erik’s words and Charles’ fingers and tongue finally pushed Adam over the edge, everything coming together at once. Charles’ had three fingers buried in Adam’s ass, pressing them deep while his tongue teased between then and around the stretched rim, nothing left to taste but Adam, all of Erik’s come licked away. Erik’s breath was hot and his words were filthy, and his hand was perfect. Adam opened his mouth on a silent moan and came so hard his elbows gave way, his come spurting out over Erik’s fingers and dripping to pool on Charles’ belly. He shivered when Charles pulled his fingers out, and he would’ve collapsed completely to the bed if Erik hadn’t grabbed him, pulling him up to lay along one side of him, Charles on the other. This had never been Erik’s favourite part of their nights together, the crashing down from the high and the stillness, but tonight he wanted, maybe needed, to feel them against him, warm and real.

The three of them lay like that for a long time, legs and hands tangled together, soft, lazy kisses pressed to whatever skin they could reach with a minimum of effort. The silence was actually wonderful, the first time in months that Erik had actually stopped thinking and felt like he could really breathe. He twined his fingers through the damp curls on Charles’ forehead, smoothing over the unwrinkled skin, pleased to see that Charles was at peace too, a hard task for someone who spent every moment hearing the thoughts of everyone around them. As usual, it was Adam who broke the silence, even his love of afterglow not strong enough to overcome his dislike of prolonged silence, no matter how comfortable.

“Erik, are you...staying? It’s getting late and we should probably...” Adam gestured in the direction of the bathroom, and it occurred to Erik that getting ready for bed probably meant more than a quick round with a toothbrush nowadays.

“Well, I don’t have any clothes here, so I should probably...” Erik started to sit up, but he’d barely made it upright before Charles caught his wrist and held him with a raised eyebrow.

“There are still some of your things in the dresser, my friend, you are more than welcome to stay. If you’d like, you can shower first, my evening routine can wait a few minutes.” Charles smiled easily, letting Erik know he was off the hook if he wanted to remain unknowing on the details.

Erik was quiet for a moment, but then returned Charles’ smile, speaking gently. “What exactly does your routine entail?”

Adam was the one that answered the question, allowing Charles the same kind of out that Erik had just received, leaning over to rest his chin on Erik’s shoulder. “Well, it always ends with a big bubble bath. And I know that the tub can hold three.”

Erik felt more than saw Adam’s grin, and Charles’ cocked his head at Adam in think, returning the grin. “Well, in that case, I think I’ll stay.”

 

After that night, Erik moved out of the hotel and back into the mansion, into the room next to Charles’ he’d always stayed in. He rarely slept alone, but even with the lightness he’d felt since being welcomed back into Charles’ and Adam’s life, there were still moments where he needed solitude, to sit with his own thoughts and no one else’s. Remarkably little else changed around the mansion, which both surprised and pleased Erik. He hadn’t known how the children would react to his moving in and to the relationship, but true to their teenage nature, since it didn’t directly affect them, they mostly shrugged it off. He’d gotten a grinning thumbs up from Gav the first morning that he’d joined them for breakfast in his pajamas, and Monet raised a perfectly groomed eyebrow when he bent down to brush a kiss over Adam’s forehead, but besides that, it was business as usual. At least, as usual as business can be in a boarding school for mutants.

It was a few weeks after Erik had moved back in when Hank came rushing into the kitchen, breathing hard and his face flushed with excitement. His eyes were sparkling they only did when he’d made a big advance or a discovery, and he was near breathless when he finally spoke.

“Cerebro. It’s ready. It’s finally ready!”

Hank led Erik, Charles and Adam down below the mansion to a bunker, following a long hallway lined with flickering lights. The bunker was in a state of disrepair, but when they reached the end of the hall they were faced with a shiny metal door, and when it slid open Erik actually lost his breath. The room on the other side of the door was huge and perfectly round, with a platform jutting out into the middle. At the end of the platform was a set-up much like they’d had at the facility, a control panel with all sorts of dials and knobs Erik didn’t pretend to understand, and the all too familiar helmet.

Charles’ excitement was starting to bubble over as he wheeled himself down the platform, and Erik reached out to grab Adam’s hand, squeezing it as Charles’ lifted the helmet onto his head with shaking hands. Adam’s eyes were wide and round, and Erik remembered that he’d never seen this before, has never experienced this aspect of what Charles could do.

Erik kept his voice low so as not to disturb Hank as he started turning the dials, a mechanical hum filling the air as Charles’ eyes fell shut and a furrow formed in his brow. “It’s amazing, Adam, what he can do. He can change the world, right from where he sits. He doesn’t even know how much.”

The machine started spitting out the familiar roll of paper, nothing but line after line of locations. To anyone else it would look like gibberish, but to Erik, to Charles and now to Adam, it looked like potential, like promise. Each number was another mutant, another student they could bring to the school and help them, teach them how to use their powers and not be ashamed of who they were. Each number was one more person who could help mutants become accepted and not feared, to take their rightful place in society. Adam leaned to rest his head on Erik’s shoulder as he watched Charles work, rubbing his thumb over the back of Erik’s hand. “We can change the world too, you know. Because we know him.”

Erik nodded, not knowing exactly how to respond. He wanted to change the world, just like Charles did, and for now their missions were parallel, but each of them knew that would not always be the case. One day their paths would diverge and Erik would have to leave to pursue his, while Charles and Adam stayed to pursue theirs. Erik couldn’t pretend to know who’s path history would look back on as being the correct one, but for now, he was happy living in the moment. Adam was right about one thing, of course, it all came back to Charles. And Erik knew even as he stood here grasping Adam’s hand and watching Charles’ beautiful mind at work, that he too would always come back to Charles, for better or for worse. It may not be forever, but nothing was, not really, and Erik had learned long ago to cling to the things you love while you have them. Erik squeezed Adam’s hand until he looked up at him, and smiled, and in Adam’s answering easy grin, he found everything he needed to know, at least for the moment.


End file.
